Improvement in floating grain-elevators



UNITED STATES PATENT Errea.

AEHEUNA E. NrMBs, or EFFALO, NEW YORK, AssreNoR 'ro HIMSELFAND JOHN c.CLIFFORD.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOATING GRAIN-ELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,193, dated August12, 1862.

, thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and theletters of reference markedA thereon, ,in whichy Figure I is a sideelevation of the elevating apparatus'and boat or vessel upon which it issupported. Fig. II isa cross-section of the vessel andy end elevation ofthe elevating apparatus. Fig. III is an elevation-of the elevatingapparatus, and Fig. IV is a section ofV the turntable and drivingspur-wheels.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

A represents a central section of the vessel, upon which the elevatingapparatus is supported, and which is of suiicient capacity to store one0r more ordinary cargoes of grain.

The vessel is provided with a steam-engine for driving the elevatingmachinery, which engine is also used to drive a propeller-wheel, bywhich the vessel may be moved from place to place,'as occasion requires.

B represents a strong platform or ioor sup-v ported above the deck ofthe vessel upon strong posts G, and having a circular portion, G, whichforms a bed upon which the turnvtable D revolves.

E is the elevator-leg, constructed in a comnion manner, with a smallpulley, c', at the foot and a larger pulley, e2, at the top, aroundwhich the belt to which the elevating-buckets are attached revolves. Theleg is hung in a sliding frame, F, by the shaft of the pulley e2, whichhas its bearings in said frame.

Gr are two upright posts iirrnly secured to the turn-table D andstiiiened by the braces G', and connected ,together at the top by across-piece, G2.V The sliding frame F, with the elevator leg, moves upand down between these posts on the guides h', they being of such heightas to allow the leg to enter the hatch of the vessel from which thegrain is to be elevated and reach down to its bottom.

H is a driving spur-wheel placed in a space above the bed O', formed bythe flange or an V y nular rirn d on the under sideof the turn-table D,which annular rim rests upon frictionrollers C2, placed in the bed C.

I is the vertical shaft,upon which the driving spur-wheel H is keyed. Itextends down below the deck of the vessel, and is there connected byappropriate gearing. with the engine. It also projects up through thecenter of the turn-table, as shown at z", yand lfornus the axis uponwhich the tablerevolves.

Il2 is a pinion gearing with the spur-wheel H, and keyed on the lower.end o f a .vertical shaft, J, which shaft extends up through theturntable and between two posts', J', firmly secured to the table, andhas a journal-bearingat the-top inthe crosspiece J2.

K is a bevel-Wheel upon the upper end of the shaft J, which gears with abevel-wheel,

K, on a horizohtal shaft, K2, having journalbearings in the verticalposts J L yis a pulley or band wheel on the end of the shaft K2.

L2v is a pulley on the same shaft as the pulley e2 at the top of theeievatordcg, and L3 is a belt which connects the pulleys L and L2, `sothat by the revolution ofthe driving spurwheel H motion is given to theelevatingbuckets. l y y IVI are tension-pulleys bearing upon the belt Laand hung in a weighted frame, m', which slides up and'down between theposts m2, rrnly secured to the turn-table, so that in the necessary riseand fall of=l the elevator-leg the belt L3 will always be kept taut. l

N is a windlass by which the elevator-leg is raised by winding up therope n,which rope passes through guide-blocks n2 and the block n3,connected tothe crosspiece G2, and is fastened to the sliding frame F,in which the -elevator-leg is hung. y

Motion is given to the windlass by the bevelwheels o and o', thebevel-wheel o being. on the end of the windlass-shaft and the bevelwheelo on the vertical shaft J, they being so arranged that they may bethrown in and out 0f gear, as occasion requires.

The elevating-leg and all its attendant machinery beingthus supportedupon the turn" table, it is evident the turn-table may be revolved, soas to place the leg in any desired position, either to elevate from itsown vessel such grain as may there be stored, or to elevate from avessel alongside, without in the simply necessary to loosen the clamps,when the action ot' the spur-wheel H upon the pinion H will cause thetable to revolve until the desired position is attained and the clampsagain tightened.

The position of the posts which support the elevating-leg upon theturn-table is such as to bring the spoutp, through which the bucketsdischarge, directly over the center of the turntable-a position which itwill always keep, even with the varying positions of the leg vandturn-table.

P represents a bin into which the grain is discharged from the spout pas it is brought u p by the elevating-buckets, it passing through a.fiexible pipe, p2, connected `to the spout p and opening into the mouthof an inclined trough,p3, opening into the bin, the mouth of said troughbeing also over the center of the turn-table, so as to be always beneaththespout p. The flexible pipep2 allows for the up-anddown movement ofthe elevator-leg, it being extended or compressed as the leg is raisedor lowered.

The bottom of the bin is doubly inclined, the highest part beingdirectly beneath the opening through which the grain enters, so that thegrain 'may be taken from each end of the bin through the spouts Q inequal quantities. The spouts are provided with slides Q', by which theowof grain is regulated.`

R represents apair of platform weighing scales, one at each end of thevbin, and provided with hoppers R', into which the grain runs from thespouts Q to be weighed. These scales are supported upon platforms S,which are suspended from arms S by the rods S2, so `that the listing ofthe vesselwill not affect the accuracy of the scales, they alwaysretaining a perpendicular position. If necessary, the platforms S may bemade of iron and very heavy, so as to preventany possible vibration ofthe scales.

T are wide-mouthed spouts connected to the Afloor B beneath the'scales,into which the hoppers R open. The grain is conveyed by an appropriatetrough from these spouts to the hold of the elevatingvessel,and therestored or carried intoavessel alongside, as the case may be. The bin iselevated sufficiently above the deck of the vessel, and is soarrangedand connected. with the elevating-scales and leg that the grainmaybe elevated from a vessel upon one side and weighed and transferredto a vessel upon the other side with but one set ofelevating apparatus,a result which has not before been accomplished, tov my knowledge. Byplacing the elevating-leg and its attendant machinery upon a turn-table, as described, I cause it to accomplish as much as threestationary ones could be made to do--that is,it will elevate from eitherend of its own vessel or from a vessel alongside. I thus save theexpense of` building and operating a large amount of machinery.

U represents railroad'tracks laid upon the deck of a vessel, so that atrain ot' cars may be run on and unloaded, hatches being made' in thedeck of the vessel, through which the grain is passed into the hold.Vhenloaded in this manner, the elevator may be run alongside of thevessel in which the grain is to be shipped, and the grain elevated,weighed, and transferred into said vessel. This is a very importantconsideration where grain is shipped by railroad toa seaport inwinte'r,and avoids the necessity ot1 bagging the grain and a great expense inhandling. I also contemplate connecting wit-h my floating elevator a newand improved grain-drying `apparatus which I am now constructing.

In a floating elevator for elevating grain, I claim-- y l. Supportingand operating the elevator! leg upon a turn-table, for the purposes andsubstantially as set forth. Y f Y 2. Placing and using thedischarging-spout of the elevatingleg in line with the center of theturn-table, so that 4any movement of the turn-table vand elevating-legwill not change th'e relative position of the spout.

3. The combination of a grain elevating apparatus and bin with a vessel,the elevatingleg and bin being so placed and arranged that the bin shallbe above the deck of the vessel, and sufciently high so thatthe grainmay be discharged from the bin (or from the bin through theweighing-scales) into a poat alongside, substantially as described.

4. Supporting the weighing-scales upon a `suspended platform, so thatthe scales and hopper will at all times maintain a perpendicularposition, notwithstanding the listing ,of the vessel.

5. The combination of a railroad-track with a vessel and elevatingapparatus, for the purposes and substantially as set forth.

A. B. NIMES.

Witnesses:

Gao. W. WALLACE, W. H. FoRBUsH.

